Schnyder dropped from Fed Cup match, sponsors

Patty Schnyder was dropped from the Swiss Fed Cup for the weekend match againt Slovakia after failing to show up for training for a third straight day.

Meanwhile, three Swiss-based sponsors -- car distributor AMAG, regional airline Crossair and information technology firm Asetra -- said Wednesday that they are cancelling their contracts with Schnyder with immediate effect.

The Swiss team started training Monday, but Schnyder had still not arrived for the session Wednesday afternoon.

The latest controversy involving Schnyder, No. 10 in the WTA Tour rankings, follows intense scrutiny in recent months of her involvement with a German fitness trainer.

Described as a "healer," Rainer Harnecker has devised a fitness regime for her that reportedly involves drinking liters of fresh orange juice every day.

Schnyder's parents, Willy and Iris, have been quoted as saying they would not have their 20-year-old daughter back unless she ends her relationship with Harnecker. She also has parted company with her coach.

Swiss newspapers have reported that German police are investigating whether Harnecker has broken laws on alternative healthcare.

Last week, Harnecker informed Swiss captain Rene Stammbach that Schnyder would arrive for the tie on Saturday, without attending the training session. Stammbach said that was unacceptable.

Officials heard no more from the player and Harnecker until they made a brief telephone call to Stammbach on Tuesday night.

"We couldn't tolerate her behavior any more," Stammbach said.

In the absence of Schnyder and top-ranked Martina Hingis, the Swiss will face Slovakia in the first-round match with Emmanuelle Gagliardi, ranked 102, as their top player. Caecilia Charbonnier, ranked 468, is expected to take the second slot.

Last year, Hingis and Schnyder took Switzerland to the Fed Cup final before losing 3-2 to Spain.

In her last public appearance Saturday, Schnyder lost a 6-0, 6-2 decision to Russia's Anna Kournikova in the quarterfinals of the Bausch and Lomb Championships in Florida.

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